


Interim

by tatooedlaura



Series: Life [18]
Category: The X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-09-03 15:46:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8719570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatooedlaura/pseuds/tatooedlaura
Summary: In between times ...





	

“Mulder.”

“It’s me.”

“Hey, just land?”

Scully looked around at the nearly deserted airport, “yeah. Already got my bags and in line to pick up the car.”

“How was the flight?” Mulder, settled comfortably in the Gunmen’s lair, ignored the looks from Frohike and Langley as he held up their game of poker with her phone call. Noticing the look, he waved them off, “deal me out.”

“Where are you?“

“With the guys. I came over after I hit my apartment, fed the fish, did some laundry. Frohike is now crowing about how he’s going to kick my butt in poker.”

Scully laughed, “then I’ll let you get back to it. Just wanted to let you know I got here in one piece.”

Oblivious to his surroundings at this point, laser focused on Scully, “it’s okay. They’re dealing me out for a little while.”

Staring at the unmoving people in front of her, “well, then, the flight was bumpy but not as bad as some we’ve had. My nails wouldn’t have made it through your jeans but I probably would have left some pretty good indents in your thigh.”

“Aww, I’m sorry. I was hoping it’d be a smooth one for you. Did you white knuckle the armrest or get really friendly with the poor guy next to you?”

“She was a nun, actually and she saw the white knuckles so she kept me talking most of the flight.”

“What did she say to the thigh-grabbing?”

Scully snorted then looked around embarrassed, “I did not grab her thigh, Mulder, good Lord.”

“I’m going to let any kind of God joke fly right by me there, okay? Remember that in the future.”

Finally, she made it to the counter, “when the lightning strikes you down, Mulder, I’m going to say ‘I told you so’.”

“Of course you are.”

“Listen, I gotta go. My turn and I want a decent car.”

Mulder grinned, “I’ll call you later.” Hanging up, he surveyed the Frohike, Langely and Byers, all staring, all amused, all quiet, “what?”

“Things heating up there with the unfathomable Agent Scully?”

“How many synonyms do you have left for ‘enigmatic’, Frohike? You’ve must be scraping the bottom of the barrel by now.”

With a smirk, he dealt Mulder’s cards to him, “just play the game, smart guy and don’t go crying to Scully when you lose.”

&&&&&&&&&&

“Mulder, there are better hotel rooms out there than the ones you always pick. You, sir, are a big, fat liar.”

“Hey, I’m on a budget. I pick within my means.” Kicking back on his couch, “why is it nicer?”

“There’s a bathtub and two queen beds and all the lightbulbs work.”

“Damn, you went fancy.”

By now, she was in bed as well, curled in the dark, “did you have a good time with the guys?”

“Yeah, haven’t had a good poker night in awhile. Lost my contents of my wallet but gained respect when I shut Frohike down with a pair of 8’s.”

“That’s my Mulder.”

Switching channels on the muted TV, “your Mulder is now $120 lighter than he was.”

“So you’ll buy cheaper Chinese then normal next time you treat. I can live with that.” Letting the silence hang for a moment, “safely assuming you’ve got your TV on mute, what are you watching?”

“I am reading great literature whilst drinking fine French wine, I will have you know.”

“Shut up and tell me what channel you’re on so I can deem it appropriate viewing.”

“286. TCM. Cary Grant. ‘North by Northwest’.”

Finding it on her TV as well after a minute, “oh, good, just starting.”

“Hitchcock fan?”

“You couldn’t live with my mother and not be. There’s a good chance she’s watching, too.”

“I’ll have to have a discussion with her on Thursday.”

Scrunching her eyebrows at no one, “won’t you be up at your mom’s by then?”

“She’d getting out on Monday so by Thursday, I should be back to work.” Suddenly thinking about it, “will you be back by Thursday?”

“I have no idea.”

“Do you mind me going over there without you? Maggie mentioned Chicken Pot Pies and Rhubarb Pie and you know how weak I am for anything with pie in the title.”

“No, I don’t mind and yes, yes I do know about your weakness for pie.”

&&&&&&&&&&&&

“Scully.”

“Hey, it’s me. You busy?”

“A little. What’s up?”

“Nothing that can’t wait. I can call back later.”

Scully looked over at Colton, who was arguing with the sheriff, who in turn looked like he wanted to wring Colton’s neck, “I’ve got a minute. The sheriff’s about to kill Colton. I’ll give you a play by play if you want.”

Mulder scratched his neck, survey the hospital room to make sure his mother hadn’t left anything behind, “as much as I’d love that, I’m driving mom to my aunt’s and can’t really talk right now. Take notes though and fill me in later.”

“Will do. Oooh, that’s gonna leave a mark on Colson for at least the next two weeks, maybe three.”

“You are an evil, lying, taunting woman.”

“Indeed … wait, what was your quick question? Is it something about your mom?”

“Yeah, just something they wrote on the chart right before they discharged her.”

&&&&&&&&&&

“Hey, you are a hard woman to get ahold of.”

Yawning into her phone, she sat sleepily against the wall of the breakroom, using the corner for support, “it’s been interesting, let me tell you. These bodies, Mulder. The guy, Morten, they’ve got him in custody, caught him yesterday but they need me to prove all the bodies we found in the mass grave are his and it’s just … each one is different and we’re trying to link them to him and it’s exhausting.”

“Is that why you’re yawning at 3:30 in the afternoon?”

Not wanting to tell him about her trouble sleeping, “yeah, just taking a break. Been on my feet for the last four hours and I need you to tell me a happy story.”

Sitting on his aunt’s back porch in the high afternoon sun, “well, how about I tell you how my aunt is a godsend and my mother is very cranky?”

&&&&&&&&&

“That God-damned piece of shit worm-ridden, motherfucking asshole needs his head examined!”

“Scully? Please say this is Scully.”

“I’m going to kill him, Mulder.”

“Is your rage aimed at Colton or Morton?”

Scully took a deep breath, exhaling heavily out of her flared nostrils, “Colton! He just had the nerve to ask me if any of the bodies had their livers gnawed on.”

“I’ll make sure Skinner doesn’t see your arrest report. Go get him.”

“Is it really only Wednesday, Mulder? Please tell me it’s at least Friday already.”

He was driving back to DC at that point, having just eaten a good, hearty meal and discovered a decent radio station in the middle of nowhere, New York, but he wasn’t about to share that with her, knowing the last thing she needed to hear was that he was having a pretty good day, “I’m sorry. It’s Wednesday. That terrible middle day when people named Tom are extra bastardly.”

Pacing the sidewalk outside the morgue entrance, Scully blew her hair from her eyes, the breeze immediately blowing it back out of place, “four years, Mulder. Four years to learn how not to be an asshole. You’d think he could do it but nope, just as much of one as before.”

“And to think, you used to date that guy.”

She stopped her looping trek, “what?”

“How you put up with him is beyond me. I mean, you don’t learn to be that much of a dick overnight.”

“Um, I never dated him, Mulder. He was in my group of friends and we studied together but we never went out.”

“Seriously? I could have sworn …”

“No, no and can I say no again. The only reason I could put up with him back then was I wasn’t dating him. I could tell him off and not care if he ever came back.”

Grinning out the windshield, “you were vicious. I like it and need to hear more about it.”

&&&&&&&&&

Mulder pulled up to Maggie’s around five Thursday afternoon, having caught up on his work for the simple reason that he could work better without the beautiful distraction that was his partner but it made him much more susceptible to boredom. It was a fine line he walked and he made it to 4pm before he threw in the towel.

“Fox? You made it. How’s your mom doing?”

Maggie ushered him in with a wave of her dishtowel and Mulder followed eagerly, his nose pulling him directly to the kitchen, shoes kicked off in the process and jacket disappearing with a toss onto the coatrack. “She’s doing better. We got her settled in with my aunt on Monday and I spent Tuesday with her and came home yesterday. Worked today and am fully ready to play cards far into the night with these most excellent neighborhood ladies.”

He grandly entered the kitchen on his last statement and Betty stood to give him a hug, “your mum’s okay?”

“My mum’s okay.” Hugging her back, he gave each woman a kiss on the cheek while circling the kitchen table before settling into his indicated chair, “we’ll have to decide in a few weeks whether she wants to stay upstate with her sister or come back down here but at least for now, she seems fairly content where she is.”

“That’s wonderful news, Fox, I’m glad she’d doing better.”

About to say more, Maggie set a plate piled high in front of him and his stomach growled, his vision shimmered and his nose twitched in heavenly-scented glory, “I love you, Maggie. More than almost anything in the world.”

Ruffling his hair, she took her seat once again, “I love you, too, Fox now eat up because there’s plenty more where that came from.”

It was a good evening, easy-going, relaxed but Mulder felt Scully’s absence profoundly and it showed in his playing. He kept forgetting his runs, forgetting the sequence, forgetting it was his turn in general, distracted by the distance of her.

This didn’t escape anyone’s attention but the ladies didn’t mention it, letting him be but still beating the pants off him. Once the party had broken up later in the evening, Mulder remained standing by Maggie in the doorway as they watched the others walk or drive away. Not making a move to put his own coat on, Maggie sensed he wanted to talk and she welcomed it, taking him by the arm and leading him back at the kitchen table, another slice of pie in front of him and clean fork in his hand, “what’s on your mind, Fox?”

“I’m having an idea and I think I’d like to know what you … well … think about it.”

“Just let me get my own pie and we’ll talk it out.”


End file.
